Silent Hill: Crush, Chapter 1
by Whit1822
Summary: Whit and his wife Samantha are driving cross country on their way to visit family up north, but when a familiar white fog envelopes them, they are in for a trip they won't surely soon forget. Welcome to Silent Hill. My first fan fiction, Please review!
1. Chapter 1

"Well good morning sunshine," I said breaking the silence of the long and lonely road, "you get some good shut eye?"

"Hmm?" mumbled the sleepy beauty sitting in the passenger seat. She took her time slowly returning to consciousness before answering. After five hours of sleeping like a baby in a crib, I would take a while getting up too. "Good morning my baby. Sorry I slept for so long, this blanket is just so darn comfortable," she spoke as she removed the sheet lying on top of her.

"Nah don't worry about it sweetheart. All this time to myself gave me some time to think about stuff anyway," I said with all honesty.

"Stuff? What kind of stuff?" inquired the now fully awake woman.

"You know, stuff. Like how much your going to love meeting the Minnesota cousins for the first time, the fact that this is our first trip out of Texas together, how awesome the food's going to be, and how happy I am to have a wife like you," I explained as I looked into her eyes with the last point.

"Aww, Whitman! How did I manage to get such a charmer of a man?" She asked playfully while grabbing my arm and resting her head upon my shoulder.

"I don't know baby, probably the same way I was able to nab such a beautiful woman," I cleverly replied, "I love you Samantha."

"How much?" Sam asked oddly quickly lifting her head from my shoulder to look at my face.

"How much you ask? Well let's see…" I pondered out loud, I was a bit thrown off guard by the suddenness of the question. "Samantha, I can say with full confidence that you are the single greatest thing that has ever happened to me. All of the years we've spent have been full of joy. I wouldn't want to live in a world without you. You're my everything," I harped trying to sum up my feelings for the love of my life in mere words.

"And you'll love me forever right?" She asked, again in a hasty almost serious tone.

"Of course sweetheart. I will always love you forever and more," I added. Sam sighed a breath of relief and her head fell back onto my shoulder.

"You're so romantic Whit, I just wanted to make sure." She explained. I took my eyes briefly from the road ahead and gave her a look of confusion.

"Make sure? Baby you know I'll always love you," I reminded her.

"I know, I just had this really bad dream and it was bothering me. Sorry about that," she professed with her voice returning to a more lighthearted tone.

"You wanna talk about it?" I asked with some concern.

"No, it's cool. I just wanted to hear you say it again. By the way where are we?" She asked now turning her head towards the windows. My eyes too glanced out at our passing surroundings. Pine trees zoomed by us on all sides as we drove noisily along the quiet forest road. An overcast sky above us prevented any sort of shadow from appearing and darkened the already dense woods. If it hadn't been for the hums of the motor and the rushing air condition it likely would have been a very eerie drive.

"We're in Kansas, I know that. Exactly where in Kansas though…" my voice trailed off with uncertainty.

"Are we lost?" asked Sam with slight alarm.

"No, No. Don't worry, we're not lost," I reassured her trying to ease her doubts preemptively. I then opened up the console and pulled out a worn piece of folded paper. "Here I'll show you, go ahead and open the map" I said handing the map to her. Sam unfolded the pages of the map until it until all of Kansas was displayed. "Okay, so you see this stretch of road right here and how it goes about for about 200 miles?" I asked while pointing at said road with my finger, "we got on this road about 5 hours ago. Meaning we should've already gotten off it by now and onto the next road, but it just keeps going. I've looked at the map a thousand times, and I swear to God that I definitely took this road. I just don't get it." I looked towards Sam to gauge her reaction to this conundrum, but she was too busy analyzing the map. After a little bit, she looked up at me with a face I had come to recognize and said,

"Whit we're lost." Yep. I knew she would say that. Still I defended my claim,

"We're not lost, I promise. Look I know I'm not always great with directions, but I'm telling you we're not lost this time." Sam sighed and then playfully jested,

"Oh I should have known better than to leave a man to the directions."

"Oh hush your face, I'll get us there," I retorted in an equally mocking tone. As we turned around yet another bend, fog, thickest I had ever seen, enveloped us. Instinctively, my foot pressed down on the breaks to accompany the treachery of this sudden twist in climate. "Holy crap Sam, where the hell did this come from? I can barely see 20ft in front of us," I spouted in awe of the fog's intensity.

"Seriously, this is like something out of the Twilight Zone or something. I think it looks really pretty though. You don't get to see this everyday," she concurred while looking on the bright side. She was right about that, it was a strangely alluring sight. My attention waned as my eyes longed to feast upon the new world around me, if only for a moment. It added a feeling of mystery and wonder to our otherwise plain surroundings. After driving this long through dull forest, I thought to myself that this was a nice change of pace.

"Whit watch out!" yelled Sam as she cringed into her seat and pointed towards the veil of fog ahead. Her unanticipated cry jolted my mind and eyes back to the road and I witnessed a man shaped shade within the fog fast approaching the front of my car. My heart and stomach plunged into my toes as my foot slammed down on the breaks. My eyes shut tightly and I gripped the wheel with all of my might so that I may brace for impact. I heard the screeching of rubber sliding across asphalt and Sam's screams of terror fill my ears, and then nothing. What felt like a lifetime of dread was over in less than a second. Although all was now quiet, I dared not look up to see the blood of some poor soul smeared across my windshield. Only until Sam called out to me did the tension in my body finally begin to loosen.

"Whit? Whit? Whit are you okay? Oh my God!," she panicked. In a meek, cracked voice, I somehow managed to answer her call,

"Ya! I'm alright! Are you okay?"

"I think so! Oh my God, did we hit him?" I felt terribly sick at the thought and closed my eyes tighter. "Wait…" Sam said, as she looked into the fog, "No We didn't! I can see him standing in front of the car! Whit! Come on! We have to help him!" Hearing those words made me feel like an unimaginable weight had just been taken off my conscious. I immediately looked up to confirm for myself whether the man was alive, as Sam had said, and sure enough there was indeed a figure standing in front of the car.

"Ya! Okay we gotta help!" I agreed as both Sam and I scrambled out of the car and approached the figure. "Oh my God, I'm am so sorry! I didn't see you in the fog! Are you okay? Are yo-" my words were cut short as I got a better look at our almost victim.

From just my initial impressions, I thought the figure to be a very tall man, but on closer inspection, it was anything but. Its body definitely resembled that of a rather fit adult male, however the proportions were all wrong. It had to have been at least 8ft tall. Attached to its long arms were abnormally large claws and each finger was tipped with a jagged pitch-black blade. The creature's skin was as white as the moon and as pale as marble all over its body. It was clearly not a man, yet around its waist there was what seemed to be the robes of a monk completely covering the figure's lower half. Atop this monstrosity was a head that has only been seen in nightmares. Its head was slightly elongated with its jaw running nearly to where its ears would be, that I if it had any. The mouth was twisted into an extremely disturbing grin making visible the black, rotting, daggers that lined its gums. However, the worst part of this abhorring abomination was its eyes, sunken so deep into the socket that I could not even tell if it had any or not. Still, as I gazed up at the figure, I felt the overwhelming sensation that it was looking back at me.

Sam and I stared at the horror in the middle of the road, both entranced by its sheer strangeness. It remained completely rigid and unmoving despite our proximity to it, yet that did not quell the immense dread we felt emanating from the creature.

"Whit, what the hell is this thing?" asked Sam, breaking the unnatural silence that surrounded us.

"I have no idea, some kind of wax model of a monster or something," I answered still fixated on the figure.

"Well, I don't like it. It freaks me out. Can we just go?" pleaded Sam already moving back towards the car door. I didn't hear her; the amount of detail in this thing was fascinating. I wanted to examine it more.

"Whit! Let's go okay?" Sam's voice called me back to my senses.

"Ya… Ya lets go, it's probably just a prank anyway," I finally replied as I walked towards the car. I didn't really believe that something like this could be part of a prank, but before I could think about it more, the horrifying scream of my wife demanded my attention,

"Ahhhhh!" Sam had her mouth agape in mid scream as she pointed towards the front of the car. My head darted in the direction of her finger and what I saw nearly paralyzed me with fear. The creature had vanished.

"Whit! NO!" Sam cried, and I heard scrapes across the asphalt behind me. My head twisted around instinctively just in time to see the pale figure towering over me with its hand raised across its chest. Before I could do anything else, I felt the incredible force of the monsters bony hand coming down upon my frail body.

Darkness descended upon my sight and the taste of blood and dirt was abundant. Sam's screams suddenly pierced my ears,

"Whit! Help me Whit! Save me! Whit!"

_NO, NO! Don't you touch her! Don't you fucking touch her!_ I try to cry out in a fit desperation,

"…Sama….ntha…." but it was of no use. Sam's pleas for help began to grow farther away,

"Whit! Whit! Help!"

_No, not my Samantha. No, no, no, no ,NO! _With every last bit of strength left in me, I forced my eyes open just enough to witness the foul creature running off down the road with my Samantha over its shoulder.

"…no….urgg…" with this last utterance, my body gave out and I was thrown into the abyss of unconsciousness.


	2. Chapter 2

The world was on its side when I woke up. My body was sprawled out across the road like some kind of road kill. The side of my head lied in a small pile of stick blood. My mouth was dry, yet the taste and smell of gravel permeated my senses. Dazed, I somehow managed to pick myself up off the ground. My arms and legs felt weak and my brain pulsated painfully within my skull. I looked around at the seemingly unfamiliar view before me. _Where am I? What am I doing on a road?_ I casually reached up to scratch my head while trying to ponder the events that lead me here. It wasn't until I brought back my hand and found it stained crimson did the memories of Samantha's kidnap come rushing back.

It felt as if a bullet had been put through my stomach. Pain, fear, anguish, and guilt all ripped through my very being as I recollected the incident. _Sam! I have to find Sam! Where is she? I must get her back! I have to get her back_! Without a second thought or word, I leaped from my oblivious state and into my still running car. I didn't care about the blood covering half of my head, nor did I dwell on the fact that my arms and legs felt like they were made of heavy concrete; I had to rescue my Samantha.

"I'm coming for you Sam!" I shouted as my foot slammed down on the accelerator. The wheels screeched as they were forced into motion and I was soon speeding down the roadlike a bat out of hell. My panicked mind raced faster than my car with dread and fear wondering what could've happened to Sam after I passed out. I never felt more useless and pathetic in my entire life. What kind of man can't protect a woman? What kind of husband can't save his wife? I had to get her back; I had to protect her. Obsessed with thoughts of rescue and redemption, my eyes darted all around in vain searching for some kind of clue in the blur of objects I flew by.

I don't know how long I drove for down that road, but everything that had happened made it feel like an eternity; and I would have driven for eternity had the sudden flashes of red and blue lights appeared in my rear view mirror. It felt as if God had answered my prayers as I quickly pulled myself over to the side of the road. If anyone could help in my quest it was the police! The black and white car eased up behind my car and a tall white man with a mustache all dressed in deep blue uniform stepped out. Without hesitation, I rolled my window down, stuck out my head, and called out to the policeman, "Officer! Thank God you're here! Please you have to help me! My wife has been kidnapped! Something took her!"

The policeman halted his approach and just looked at me with a confused face. He slowly moved his hand to his side close to his holster.

"Sir, please slowly step out of the car with your hands where I can see them," the man said cautiously. I knew he thought I was suspicious so I heeded his commands to the best of my ability. However my excited state caused me to exit the car as fast as I could, and when I looked back at the officer I found a gun pointed in my direction.

"Freeze!" he shouted. MY hands shot up into the air with a dumbfounded look upon my face. "Get on the ground! Get on the Ground now! And keep those hands up!" He said as he shuffled his way up to me. This time, swiftness was permitted, so I hit the ground like a weight with my hands raised up. I felt the sights of the gun upon me as the officer took the handcuffs from his belt and slapped them tight around my wrists.

After making sure I was securely shackled, the lawman pulled me to my feet. "Now, what's this kidnapping you were talking about?" asked the officer. Now free to speak without risk of acute lead poisoning, I proceeded to tell him what had transpired.

"Please officer, you've got to help me! My wife and I were driving down the road some ways back and this guy or thing, I don't know! But he stepped in front of our car and when we got out to see if he was okay, he hit me over the head with something and took off running with my wife!" I spouted nearly in a single breath.

"Whoa, whoa, slow it down there son. Relax, calm yourself and take some deep breaths," responded the officer. Not wanting to delay a second, I sucked in three large breaths of air. "Feeling better?" he asked. I shook my head up and down. I did feel a little better, but I was still consumed with urgency on the inside. "Now, you said you and your wife were driving down this road when this guy made off with her?" inquired the policeman.

"Yes sir! Like somewhere between 10 or 15 miles away, I don't know for sure," I answered readily.

"Okay, then you'll come with me and we'll go back and see if we can't find something," ordered the officer as he placed his hand on my back and took us towards his car.

"Thank you so much officer," I began as he opened the door to the back seat.

"Well go ahead, get on in," he said.

"Aren't you gonna unhandcuff me? I swear I'm telling you the truth!" I stated loudly.

"Sorry son, see it from my perspective: you pull over somebody doing over a hundred, and he jumps out like a goddam lunatic with blood all over him yelling about how his wife's been killed. How do I know that's your blood?" He explained thus silencing any opposition I had to sitting handcuffed in the back seat.

"Okay, but please hurry," I begged as I stepped into the car.

"Yep," he said as he shut the door. I watched him walk around to the front of the car and stick the keys in the ignition. I thought to myself, _go faster! My wife is out there! _Yet I held my words back. I needed this man to believe me and help me find my wife. Ordering him around would definitely not make him want to help me.

He turned the wheel and the car lurched into a U-turn down the road; back towards where I had seen my Samantha stolen from me by some monstrosity. I quietly contemplated what was safe to tell the officer. _I couldn't say a monster took my wife. He'd just think I was crazy! What should I tell him? _ My thoughts were suddenly interrupted however as the officer looked up at the rear view mirror at me and asked, "so this guy that took your wife, what's he look like?"

"Uh…I didn't really get a good look at him cause of the fog, but he was very tall and pale," I replied thinking off the top of my head for a non-crazy answer.

"Fog? It's the clearest day we've had all summer, not even a cloud in the sky. You sure you saw fog?" questioned the officer. Confused by his claim, I leaned towards the window and looked up at the sky. He was right, the sky was as blue as ever and there wasn't a tuft of fog in sight. In fact the fog had been gone since I woke up. I guess I never really noticed due to my hysteria.

"Ya, I'm sure. Thickest I've ever seen," I confirmed.

"Well that certainly is odd, but at least I think I know where we're going now. There's a lake a little ways down that's close to the road. Sometimes in the fall, the fog will roll off the lake and onto the road. Ain't ever heard of it being a problem though…" professed the officer.

The car was silent for the next twenty minutes. I thought of all the places that thing could have possibly taken her, how it could be tracked, how I could rescue my Samantha, and see that abomination suffer at my hands. I had calmed down quite a bit from my breakdown, yet I was still absolutely desperate to find my Samantha.

"Hey son, this the fog you were talking 'bout?" asked the officer. I looked up from the floor and straight down the road where the road and trees faded into a cloud of white.

"Yes sir! That's it!, We shouldn't be too far now…" I responded as I sat up in my seat and anxiously gazed out in search for any sign of Sam. We entered the veil of fog and into its hazy world just like Sam and I had done before she was taken. I felt the officer press the breaks, slowing the car to a speed so that we wouldn't miss our destination.

"You know, I never did catch your name son." Said the officer suddenly.

"Its Whit sir. Whit Howard" I responded without taking my eyes off the outside view.

"Whit? That's an odd name. Never met a Whit before." Stated the officer.

"I get that a lot," I replied briefly. I thought to myself, _Of all the time we spent driving down the road, now he wants to start a conversation?_

"It sure is unique. I'm Officer Lauer by the way. You from around here?" he asked.

"Um, no. My wife and I were driving from Texas to Minnesota so she could meet the rest of my family and vacation for a while," I explained still searching frantically out the windows.

"Ah, bringing the wife to meet the family," Lauer said while nodding his head, "must be tough for her." That last bit irked me a bit as I continued to gaze listlessly out the window.

"Why do you think it would be tough for her?" I inquired.

"Well since your parents disapproved of her the wedding I just assumed mayb-" He began, but I quickly cut him off.

"Officer Lauer, I never said anything about my parents…" I stated turning towards him. A sudden drop in my gut signaled to me something was wrong. Suddenly suspicion was cast over the person I thought to be an answered prayer. Perhaps he wasn't a savoir, as I once believed… I thought, _how did he know that? I never said anything about my parents or the wedding. He couldn't of known that. _"How do you know about that?" I demanded. Officer Lauer gave no answer as he drove quietly through the fog. "How do you know about that?" I repeated loudly. Still no answer. My heart began to race, and panic once again began to take hold of me. "Who are you?" This time he responded,

"Just an officer of the law, trying to protect and serve," his tone felt cold and distant and a chill crept down my spine as I heard them. My situation was becoming more and more of a frightful mystery with each passing second, but I managed to continue speaking.

"What's that supposed to mean…" I inquired, doubtful that protecting and serving is all he had in store for me.

"It means what it means boy. Don't get any simpler than that," he replied in the same icy voice. _What is he talking about, what is he planning? _My mind raced with thoughts like these, until I suddenly felt the car begin to slow. "My God…" said Lauer as his head turned towards the window. My eyes followed his gaze and suddenly the suspicious cop became the least of my worries.

A sickeningly large spot of crimson stained the road with its liquid presence, and face down in the midst of it all was a man whose body was horribly twisted and mangled. I had never seen something so positively… well real. It was real. There was a man dead out there, and this time I wasn't watching it on a screen. The reality of it all made me want to puke and I began to gag in the backseat at the sight. "Wait right here," Officer Lauer ordered as he stepped out of the car. I was handcuffed and still trying to keep my lunch in the back of a cop car, so it's not like I had much of a choice anyway.

Eventually, my stomach settled and I braved one more peek at the gruesome sight before me. The body of the poor soul was almost more than I could take. It looked like it had been cracked open like a piñata and its contents now freshly glistened all over the road. I quickly turned my eyes down the road, away from the carnage, as my stomach churned in revolt and saw Officer Lauer squatting and examining something on the ground. My eyes squinted as I strained to see what it was exactly that caught his attention. I was able to make out thick black lines stretching out from a large splatter of blood into the fog. I didn't think my heart could drop any further, but it somehow managed to as I realized what this meant. Things had just gone from worse to terrible.

Lauer came walking in a storm and a look of anger on his face. I knew what he was thinking, I would have thought it too if I were in his position. What he was thinking now though was a mystery. He reached the car and yanked open the door as I cowered to the other side of the car fearful of what was to come.

"Get the fuck out of the car you little shit!" he yelled as Lauer reached into the car and seized me by the neck.

"No! Wait! I did-" I tried to explain.

"Shut up!" ordered the officer as he squeezed my neck tighter and pulled me out of the car and onto the road. Clearly this man was not going to listen to anything I had to say.

"Wait stop!" I exclaimed reaching for help, but it was of no use. Lauer's boot swiftly dove into my chest and I the only air that escaped my lips was knocked out. I felt the full force of Lauer's brutal anger with every kick. Over and over again he brought his foot down, and I shriveled up on the ground trying to protect myself. Finally, the pain ceased and I heard Lauer huffing, trying to catch his breath.

"Get up!" he ordered as he violently pulled me to my feet by the hair on my head. Barely conscious, my legs quaked under the weight of my battered body. The officer looked me straight in the face and spoke with rage.

"I outta kill you right here for what you done. Hit and run? You thought you could just kill in cold blood the speed off and forget all about it? No, no chance in hell boy! It's scum like you that ruin the world. Only thinking about yourself, not caring if somebody dies so long as you're okay!" he suddenly spits into my face, "You are scum with blood on your hands, and I'm going to make sure you go away for a long long time far away from my town." I had regained some of my senses during his accusations and sputtered,

"But…but…officer I swear…I didn't hit anybody…I swear. Please… please my wife…she's been taken,"

"Oh cut the crap! Like you actually care, she probably ran off when you murdered that man and wanted to speed off. In my opinion she's better off without a scumbag like you," stated the officer, "but don't worry, you can still see her an hour every week in jail. If she still wants to see you that is you murderer." With that, Lauer grabbed my arm and began pushing me towards the car.

"No…no wait please you can't!" I was finally beginning to recover from the officer's personal brand of justice, "my wife she's out there! I have to find her!

Somebody took her and I don't know what for! She's my wife, I have to protect her!" I was in a full out struggle now trying to break free from the officer's hold.

"Sure, sure. Don't worry we'll take care of her while you rot in prison!" replied Lauer with a chuckle.

"No!" I yelled, and with that I slammed my head backwards and knocked the officer square in the nose. His grip on me loosened and I was able to break away from him as he clutched his face in pain.

"Goddammit you little shit! I'll fucking kill you!" he shouted, his face now red with anger and blood. Lauer lunged after me, but I wasn't about to let that happen. I could not go to jail. I need get Sam back!

Still in handcuffs, I dashed towards the running car and managed to pull the door open. Lauer was right behind me, so I instinctively slammed my foot down on the gas and the car lunged forward. _I have to go back. I have to get into town, _I thought to myself as I turned the wheel. Shots fired out, and shattered glass rained down on top of me. Lauer had his gun out now, and it was clear he was not shy about using it. I automatically ducked my head down and tried to complete the U-turn without sight. My heart skipped a beat with every gunshot, and when I finally thought I had turned enough, I quickly straightened out the wheel and gunned it.

I felt the car rock as it drove over something that made a disturbingly moist squishing sound, and began to hear Lauer's gunshots fade into the distance. I raised my head from beneath the wheel and was met with an empty fog covered road. Officer Lauer's figure had faded completely from sight within the mirrors. This moment of respite and safety was not lost on me, and I sighed a breath of relief. However, nothing had changed, in fact things had gotten worse. Sam has been kidnapped; I just assaulted a police officer, and then I stole his car.

I was in deep trouble, but none of that occurred to me. My only focus was finding Sam and I was obsessed. Like a madman, I drove down the road all the way for miles until out of the fog emerged a quaint sign bidding me welcome to Silent Hill.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: …And lead us not into Temptation…**

_This must have been the town he was talking about_, I thought to myself as I slowed pursuit. It was still too foggy to see everything, but the sight of plain buildings, an abundance of unfamiliar shops bearing family names, and a sign that read Main St. told me the town was probably small meaning less ground to cover. A sense of security swept away some of my anxieties when I rolled into the seemingly cozy town. It was like a breath of fresh air finally being released from the isolation of the forest road.

My gaze darted from window to window searching for anybody who could possibly help me. However, as I drove ever further down the street things began to feel off. I had driven straight through what looked like the town's shopping district, yet there was not a soul in sight. I thought perhaps all this fog was throwing off my sense of time, but I double checked and all the clocks I had flashed 2:54pm. It was too strange for not even one person to be outside at a shopping district in the middle of the afternoon. My grief and paranoia began escalating their takeover as I drove faster down the streets searching for just a glimpse of a person.

Panic pumped coursed through my veins once again and the quaint little town of Silent Hill felt foreboding and unsettling rather than safe. I feared my wife's fate more and more with each second driving alone through its empty, but disturbingly well kept streets.

Suddenly, just I felt I could no longer take the craziness; a pink light glowed through the fog up ahead. A sign of life! I sped toward it as if the world hinged on me getting there. It didn't take long before I was in front of a place called Heaven's Night whose neon sign had been the source of the light I saw. I stopped the car in the middle of the street and was quickly running towards the doors.

"Somebody please help me! My wife she's gone! Something took her! Please anybody! Somebody help me!" I shouted upon throwing open the doors and stumbling in still in handcuffs. Bent over and panting, I looked up praying that I would see people rushing to my aid, but all that greeted me was an empty bar. The lights were on and a tune was playing on the jukebox, but the place was devoid of people. I bent down over again, I was more exhausted than I thought

_No, this can't be possible! There has to be somebody here!_ I prepared to dash into the bar shouting for help, but was stopped by the sound ice clinking in a glass. I looked up at the source of the noise and beheld a very attractive girl in a red dress sitting at the end of the bar. I almost didn't believe it at first and shook my head just to be sure I wasn't seeing things, but there she was; a beautiful blond girl in a small red dress and high heels sitting alone in a bar in an empty town with a drink in her hand. I thought for sure I had lost it, until she spoke.

"Are you okay?" she asked calmly, not even getting out of her chair. Finally a person!

"Please just listen," I said approaching her and began professing frantically, "My wife. We were driving down the road, and then something stopped us and it took her! Kidnapped her! I tried asking a cop for help, but he didn't believe me and beat the crap out of me! And now I've been driving all over this town and haven't seen a single fucking person until now. And this fog, what the hell is up with this fog? What's going on? What the hell is happening? Where is my wife? I need to find her! I have to find her! Please," I begged sinking to the floor in tears, "You've got to help me. Please miss. My wife. I have to find her. I have to get her back. I have…I have to…to." My voice trailed off and I collapsed to the floor sobbing pathetically finally succumbing to the anxiety and grief that had been piled high upon my shoulders. There was no response for a while then I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"It's okay, I'll help you. Here you look terrible, come sit up her and I'll fix you a drink and we'll just calm down," she said softly and helped me up and into a seat at the bar. I said nothing; my tears were still choking me. "Do you like anything particular?" She asked as she moved behind the counter. I cleared my throat to answer.

"No, I don't care, just something strong,"

"Alright, something strong it is," she said as she grabbed a handle of liquor and a glass from the shelf. When she brought them to the counter, I took the bottle from her hand, took off the cap, and felt the burn as I brought the spirit to my mouth and gulped. The woman just stared, and after a couple mouthfuls I drew the bottle back and coughed uncontrollably.

"Ugh…brandy…God I hate this stuff," I admitted, its poignant taste still in my mouth.

"You could have fooled me," she said returning to her seat at the bar beside me. I buried my head into my arms on the table fatigued from all the chaos. "Just take some deep breaths for a little while and try to calm down," she said kindly putting her hand on my back. I grunted in approval and began drawing in big gulps of air. _She's right, I need to calm down_. _I can't think right when I'm like this. I'll just do this for a little while to catch my breath._

A couple minutes passed without a word. I could feel the burn of the alcohol in my stomach and my head growing lighter. The brandy was kicking in, and I was beginning to relax a bit. Finally I raised my head from the counter and looked at her through misty eyes.

"Thank you, I needed that," I said expressing my gratitude.

"No problem," she said casually, "so you're having girl problems huh?"

"Ha," I smirked, _I guess she's had a few_, "no my wife she's been kidnapped. We were driving down the road a ways and then this fog rolled in and something jumped out in front of my car. When we got out to see what it was it knocked me out and kidnapped my wife and I saw them running towards this town so I've been looking everywhere."

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry, that's terrible!" she said.

"Ya, I would call the cops you know. But that's not really an option anymore," I confessed showing her my cuffed hands, "I barely escaped with my life. I know if I do I'll be arrested for sure, but I can't go to jail not while my wife is still out there with that thing. After I find my her, I'll turn myself in and then they can do whatever they want, but until then I have to keep searching. Can you help me miss? Oh sorry, I'm Whit by the way, Whitman Howard," I said extending my hand for the late introduction.

"Ha, you're so funny," she said laughing.

"Pardon?" I asked confused about what was so funny.

"Of course I know your name. Why are you acting so weird?" The woman asked as if she hadn't heard a word I said. I continued to look at her trying to figure out what she was talking about. "But I really am sorry, was it because she found out about us?" She inquired. _What the hell is she talking about?_

"Look miss, I don't kno-"

"Why do you keep calling me that?" She asked.

"What?" I asked. _Do I know this girl?_

"Stop calling me miss, look I know what happened to Sam was just awful and all but look on the bright side. At least you're free now and we don't have to sneak around anymore. Now come on, let me help you," She said in a frustrated tone as she ran her hand along my inner thigh. I immediately leapt out my seat at her touch and faced her.

"What the is wrong with you?" I asked in a fluster, "my wife has been kidnapped! She's not dead for God sake! Wait…wait you said her name. How do you know her name? Who are you?" I shouted. The woman said nothing staring at me as if I was the one acting strange. Her silence was all I needed to hear. She knows something about Sam and I was going to find out why.

You're just like the cop, he knew about our wedding, and now you know my wife's name? You, this town, the cop, and that thing; what's going on here? What do you know?" I questioned loudly in a drunken rage. Still the woman sat in silence with pitiful scared eyes, but I was having none of it. "Where's my wife?" I demanded. She looked up into my eyes at the question and finally rose from her seat.

"Whit, you're acting crazy. Please just calm down and let me take care of you," she asked now approaching me trying to place her hand on my shoulder.

"No!," I refused and jumped back away from her, "don't you touch me, you know something. Where is my wife? What have you done to her?" I yelled.

Suddenly tears began streaming down the girl's face, she clasped her hands to her face, and began crying. I was taken aback; I didn't expect her to cry, but I held my ground and asked again in a stern voice, "Where's my wife?"

"Oh Whit!" She shouted and ran at me with open arms. I instinctively moved away from her embrace and watched as she tripped and fell. Her head hit a table with a sickening thud and the jukebox scratched as soon as she hit the ground. The bar was silent now; the woman's body lay sprawled across the floor. I stood breathless over her ragdoll form and watched in horror as a small pool of crimson began pooling around her head.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: …But deliver us from Evil…**

"Miss?" I stuttered finally after what seemed like an eternity waiting for her to get up, "Miss are you okay?" There was no answer. Slowly I crouched down and nudged her shoulder with my hand. "Miss?" I asked again, trying in vain to deny what I suspected deep down. I lifted her limp body and rolled her over. Her eyes were shut and blood seeped from a gash on her forehead. "Oh God…" I said as I placed my ear to her chest, "Please be okay…" However, no sound beat forth from her heart. "C'mon…" I said again now putting my ear to her mouth hoping to hear even the slightest breath, but none came.

My mind was reeling with panic. _She's dead! She's fucking dead and I killed her!_ I stood up and paced around the room in my now blood stained clothes. _What do I do? I can't take her to a hospital; I can't let the police take me! I still have to find Sam! _My first impulse was to run out the door and speed off in my car and hope for the best, but I couldn't; I needed to do something to help this poor woman. For mercy's sake I dialed 911 to report an accident, but I had no intentions of sticking around waiting for the cops to come.

"911, what is your emergency?" asked the indifferent voice over the phone.

"Uh, ya there's been an accident over here at um," I paused for a moment to check the name of the establishment, "at the Heaven's Night bar. Somebody's hurt! Please bring help!" I then hung up quickly before the operator could ask any more questions. They had all they needed to know to help her, and now it was time for me to make my escape. I turned towards the exit and began swiftly making my way towards the door, but before I cold get there a voice from behind stopped me dead in my tracks.

"She's dead Whit and it's all your fault," spoke a cold and off-putting voice. I was almost too frightened to turn around, but the liquid courage in my stomach gave me the strength to face whatever it was that spoke without hesitation. The woman, whom I thought for certain was dead, was now sitting at the bar with a drink in her hand as if nothing had happened. Blood oozed sickeningly from the open gash on her head and her skin had taken on a festering grey quality. "Sam is gone, and you are the one who killed her," she spoke again. Her kind, soothing voice now echoed with an unearthly demon like sounds that sent chills down my spine. This couldn't be real.

"What?" I managed to stutter.

"You heard me," she replied bluntly glaring straight at me.

"No, no you're lying! I was just with her and that thing took her! I've been looking for her! Trying to save her!" I retorted loudly with anger. At my outburst, the revenant calmly put down her drink and began walking towards me in a slow provocative manner.

"Poor little Whitman… All he wanted to do was have fun like everybody else, but the ball and chain wouldn't let him. So what did he do?" My body suddenly seized up and I found myself standing paralyzed in place. Terror gripped me as the horrible zombie drew closer chuckling as I struggled to break free of whatever held me, but it was of no use. The undead vixen pressed her body against mine and then softly whispered in my ear, "What did poor Whitman do? He decided to have fun anyway and got rid of his ball and chain once and for all."

A sinister smile spread across the fiend's face and she stepped back and laughed. Laughing as if the funniest joke had just been told, and I was the punch line.

"No! I would never do that! I love her! I love her!" I shouted in desperate protest.

"Then why did you abandon her? Why did you leave her?" she asked. Her expression changed into that of grave seriousness and she looked dead into my eyes, "If you loved her so much then why isn't she with you!" The woman screamed and for a moment I couldn't think of anything to say. She smirked, "deny it all you want now Whit, but you will accept it. This town will make sure of that. You will feel all of Sam's pain and shall be exposed as the rotten letch you are," she grabbed my face with her icy cold hand and shouted, "We will have justice!"

At that moment an overwhelming force struck my body from her hand and I was sent whirling out of the bar like a ragdoll and into the streets. I was somehow slowly able to rise up onto my feet from the sudden assault without any apparent injury, and as I did my fear and panic increased tenfold.

The quaint wooden buildings had been replaced with gritty, menacing, metal structures. The fog had been lifted only to reveal a dark read sky littered with the blackest of clouds. The solid concrete street I had once driven on was now but a long metal grate and beneath that was an endless abyss of darkness. Everything was stained with splashes of blood and covered in rust. _Where the hell am I? What is going on?_

Before I had time to think, I heard the malevolent woman's laughter drawing closer from within the bar and I took off sprinting down the dark streets with all of my might. Even as I put more and more distance between us, her evil laugh still rang loud within my ears. I don't know how long I ran in that adrenaline fueled panic, but when I finally got a hold of my senses I stopped and found myself in the middle of an unfamiliar intersection. I fell to my knees partly to catch my breath, but mostly to somehow force myself awake from this terrible dream. As, much as I tried, the industrial nightmare refused to vanish. I could no longer take this insanity, I found myself screaming up into the dark skies, an agonizing, pitiful scream that expressed all of my frustrations and anguish. However, the sounds of my cries were lost among the sounds of horrid machinery and screeching metal that filled the air in the hellish town.

Not long after I had closed my mouth and resorted to tears once more did a frighteningly loud thump come from all around me. My head perked up, and I opened my ears searching for the source. It was a familiar sound, but I couldn't remember what it was or where I heard it. However it didn't take long before the noises came again…and then again, and again, and again. Suddenly the memory jolted back to me and brought terrible dread and fear along with it. They were footsteps, and not just a couple; this was the sound of an army marching, marching towards me that is. I quickly looked around for anything I could use as a weapon, and found a piece of pipe among some decrepit debris littering the place.

Pipe in hand; I waited for whatever it was approaching to emerge from the dark streets. As the footsteps grew louder and louder, I realized what little hope I had and silently prepared for my inevitable defeat and a most likely violent death. Before I knew it, I witnessed the first figures walking out of the darkness towards me. I cringed and my body convulsed at the sight. They were nurses, an army of nurses would you believe it? They all marched in high heels and identical skimpy uniforms that gratuitously highlighted their more titillating qualities. Each possessed a body of a supermodel that could drive a man mad, but this only contrasted the horror they truly were. Their clothes were dirty and stained with filth and they're skin looked pale and grey. None of the shambling nurses had a distinguishable face, and had instead only gnarled and twisted flesh where a face should have been.

The army slowly approached me from all sides of the intersection. I was surrounded, and on closer inspection each of the nurses was armed with a shiv. _I need to get out of here!_ My eyes darted around desperately in search of some route of escape, but the building's doors had been wiped clean during whatever ungodly transformation occurred to the town while I was in the bar and only high metal walls remained. The seductive army moved closer slowly sealing my fate and I moved to the middle of the intersection ready to at least go down with a fight. However, all at once they halted their march and stood perfectly still. They had effectively blocked off the streets and turned the intersection into a small square where I stood waiting for one of them to make a move.

My fear and anxiety was palpable as I waited for death to come take me in a flurry of knives, but instead of an attack there came a terrifyingly familiar voice from behind.

"Hey shithead, remember me?" I quickly turned around startled by the voice and beheld a grey skinned and rotting officer Lauer standing with his arms crossed not ten feet in front of me. "It's been a while," he said with a deep demonic voice echoing his words.

"You? But how?" I asked bewildered.

"Oh cut the crap, you'd think after everything that's happened you would stop being so goddam surprised every time the shit hits the fan," he complained. I paused for a second to gather myself.

"What do you want?" I asked firmly.

"Ha! Now there's the million dollar question!" stated Lauer with glee.

"It's not about what we want," said a voice from beside, "It's about what you deserve." I felt a hand slide across my back and saw that it was the woman in the red dress still looking as gruesome as I had last seen her. She walked to her place beside Lauer and held his chest like a lover.

"What do you mean?" I questioned not amused by her flirtatious actions.

"You killed somebody Whit. You killed your own girlfriend because you just couldn't keep it in your pants," she said tauntingly.

"You killed her in cold blood and then you just walked off like nothing happened. You're scum, pure fucking scum," added Lauer.

"What are you talking about? I didn't kill my wife!" I shouted. Suddenly I heard the march of high heels once more as the nurses took a single step forward.

"Lying won't get you out of here Whit. Eight years ago you let your girlfriend die and didn't even care," spoke the woman.

"You're the one who's lying! Sam and I have been married for eight years, she didn't die! And I've got the ring to prove it!" I claimed as I held up my hand to show the two revenants the ring I received on my wedding day. "See! If Sam is dead, where did this co-" To my horror, I saw that the ring, proof of my commitment to Samantha, had vanished from my finger.

"You were saying?" asked Lauer sarcastically. The voluptuous brigade took another step closer. "You've never been married boy. Hell you had your chance eight years ago but you fucked that up when you had sex with that waitress the night before. You are some piece of work, Sam deserved better than a scumbag like you."

"What waitress? We got married! I've never cheated on Sam!" I attested with tears escaping my eyes. The nurses once again moved closer, they were about the length of a car away from me on all sides.

"Wrong again Whit!" giggled the woman as she pit her finger playfully, "don't you remember Whit? We had so much fun that night, you held me in your big strong arms and we did all the things your wife hates! It was incredible," the putrid woman let out a moan as she pretended to remember the moment. Anger and rage began to well up inside me as she mocked my suffering with lies. "It's too bad your wife caught us, poor thing, she cared for you so much and you did that horrible thing! It's no wonder she did what she did…" My hands fiercely clenched the pipe and it took all the restraint I had not to beat the infuriating woman with it.

"What did she do?" I asked with frustration in my voice.

"Well…" her voice trailed off teasingly but then returned with glee, "she hung herself! Hahahaha!" Officer Lauer shared her laughter and the faceless nurses shook their heads and made disturbing squeaks of amusement.

"That's not true! I would never let that happen!" I shouted now full of anger and rage. The nurses took another step closer ignoring Lauer and the woman as they stood unflinching in the crowd and were about eight feet away now.

"You killed her," spoke the woman calmly.

"No!" I shouted. The nurses took another step closer; about six feet now.

"It's time to face the truth boy, take it like a man," said Lauer.

"You're lying! Why are you lying? I never cheated on her! She didn't kill herself! We got married!" I yelled desperately. The tears were pouring freely now as I felt anger, fear, and, for some reason, sadness all at the same time. The nurses moved closer. They were now close enough to strike me down, but they didn't, I guess they needed one more step.

I sunk to my knees utterly defeated and cried silently. _It's over. I'm sorry Sam… I'm so sorry. _Suddenly, like a needle shooting into my skull, forgotten memories returned, memories how happy Sam was when I proposed on her 21st birthday, memories of how excited she was when we were planning the wedding, memories of how much we loved each other, memories of doubt and alcohol, memories of an affair, and the memory of Sam when…

"Any last words?" asked the woman mockingly. I sniffed pathetically as I looked down through the grating into the abyss and said,

"I love her…" my voice faded, I shut my eyes and braced myself for the nurses to put their knives to work, but after a few seconds of not dying I opened my eyes to find the army along with the revenants of the woman and Lauer had vanished. Not only that, but the town had returned to its homely state and the hellish nightmare seemed to have disappeared. The heavy fog had also returned to blanket the town and hinder my eyesight.

As I rose to my feet and wiped away the tears from my eyes, I realized that I was still not alone. There before me towered the faceless white demon that had taken Samantha. It breathed silently and stood motionless staring at me with its sunken eyes. However I was not afraid.

"I know why you're here," I spoke slowly with newfound determination, "you're trying to keep her from me, trying to make me forget so I wouldn't have to deal with the truth." The creature hissed angrily, but my resolve was firm. "Give her back to me."

The creature roared a tremendous roar and with great speed charged directly at me. Before I could react, I was enveloped in bright light; blinding white light, which soon faded to reveal what the beast had tried to conceal.

I was wearing a wedding tuxedo standing outside a door with the numbers 142 on the front. _I remember this…Sam and I wanted some alone time before the wedding so I bought this hotel room. I remember I got drunk and….met that waitress, then Sam caught us, and now…_ after realizing what was about to happen, I immediately swung open the door.

There, in her wedding dress and to my complete and utter despair, hung my bride to be from a noose. Words cannot express the gravity of what I felt at that moment.

"SAM!" I shouted as I frantically leapt to her side and removed the coil from around her neck. "SAM! SAM! PLEASE WAKE UP! PLEASE SAM! PLEASE! DON'T GO! PLEASE DON'T GO!" my cries of sadness and misery went unattended the love of my life lay dying in my arms. "We're gonna get you to a hospital baby, you're going to be okay," I told her, "Oh God Sam it's all my fault. I love you so much, I made a mistake and now it's my fault you're like this. Oh God I can't lose you Samantha!" I hugged her limp body to my chest and cried without restraint over her shoulder.

"Whitman?" said a quiet voice I longed to hear. I brought her away from my chest and held her in my arms. Her eyes were barely open and she her expression was calm. She had the appearance of an angel.

"Samantha! Thank God! You're going to be okay, everything's going to be okay now," I said through watery eyes.

"Don't you love me?" she asked in a soft whisper. Her question broke my heart, but I knew my feelings.

"Samantha, you are the single greatest thing that has ever happened to me. All of the years we've spent have been full of joy. I wouldn't want to live in a world without you. You're my everything" I stated sobbing as I spoke.

"And you'll love me forever right?" She whispered, tears began rolling gently down her pale face.

"Of course sweetheart. I will always love you forever and more," I added and then wiped my face. Then she smiled just before her eyes closed, never to open again. I held her in my arms for what I wish could have been an eternity, but I had to keep my word. I stood atop a chair and placed the noose snugly around my neck.

"I will always love you Sam. Forever and more…"


End file.
